Monday, September 26, 2011

The Italian edition of Seven Seasons In Siena was published in August (by Betti Editrice, under the title Sette Stagioni a Siena), and that's prompted some very gratifying attention. I did a few TV interviews...in Italian, thank you very much. There was only one awkward moment, and I wish there were a link to it online so I could finally know what the hell I said to cause it.

I also received a warmly appreciative letter from Siena's mayor, and was the subject of a profile in the city's major daily, Corriere di Siena. I scanned a copy of the article and was holding on to it with the intention of finding time to do a full translation for you, until I realized this morning, with tremendous self-knowledge and blinding clarity, that that was never going to happen. So I present it to you as is. Enjoy, to the extent you can.

Monday, September 5, 2011

One year after the events chronicled my book Seven Seasons In Siena, I returned to the city for "i giorni del Palio"—the days of the Palio, the ancient bareback horse race held in the city's central piazza. This is my video journal of the week in all its dazzling color, song, and spectacle.